Good Neighbors
by NenaBird
Summary: It's a new year and the DPD's most notorious pair are back on the job. This time they are tasked with narrowing down an unusually long missing persons list. It should have been a simple enough task... until the new neighbor got caught up in the middle of it.
1. Occupied

Good Neighbors

Chapter 1 - Occupied

Hank grunted (more out of annoyance than exertion) as he threw a shovelful of snow over his shoulder. "Twenty _fucking_ thirty-nine," he muttered to himself. "We've made self-aware sentient androids but haven't invented a better way to shovel snow off of our own goddamn sidewalks. The fuck is this world I'm living in?" He straightened to stretch his sore back, hissing as it gave a small 'pop.' "I'm getting too old for this shit…" As he took a breath and dug his shovel back into the soft snow, he heard a car pull up behind him. Eyes darting to the door he had stupidly left ajar, he turned abruptly and attempted to shout but it was too late; Sumo came bursting out the door, running every which way, sending Hank's neat piles of snow right back into the walkway as he launched himself at the new arrival.

"For _fuck's_ sake, Sumo!" Hank yelled as he threw down the shovel.

"You left the door open."

He sent Connor a withering glare. "Yeah, I had no idea. Thanks a lot, Captain Obvious."

"Actually, my name is Connor. I'm the android sent by Cyberlife."

Hank felt himself cracking a smile at the playful glint in his partner's eyes, despite the petty desire to stay angry. It was difficult to be mad when Connor started getting sassy, if only because it was such a welcome difference from his mechanical coldness from when they had first met. Deviancy suited him. "Oh, haha. Very funny. Go be a smart-ass inside before your damn bio-components freeze up or whatever. Take Sumo with you."

"It would be need to be at least 20 degrees colder for my bio-components to freeze, Hank," the android informed him. A small frown formed on his face. "Why are you shovelling anyway? I told you I could do it when I got back."

Hank's pride kept him from outright saying that he was doing this particular chore because he felt guilty that Connor did almost all the others including cooking (for just him since the android didn't eat) and cleaning just about every damn corner of the house without being asked so he simply said, "Because I was home and you were at the office."

Connor took a step toward him, hand outstretched for the shovel. "I'm home now. I'll take over."

Holding the shovel at arm's length so the android couldn't reach, Hank let out a huff. "Connor, it's _fine_. I'll do it. Just go inside and get warm."

His partner gave him a concerned look. "All right," he conceded. "I'll have the files ready when you're finished. C'mon, Sumo."

 _Right,_ Hank groused internally as he watched the android and dog duo disappear into the doorway. _The files._

As the holidays had come and gone, the android liberation front had changed drastically. A sense of community had began to bloom, especially when Markus himself had led a huge group of android carollers all around the city on Christmas Eve. Connor had been in that crowd somewhere; Hank got a real kick out of hearing him humming "Let It Snow" on Christmas morning.

He was pretty sure that the explosion of tinsel and lights that decorated nearly every corner of Detroit had been the work of androids as well. He couldn't really blame them for going a bit overboard; it was their first real Christmas, after all.

But along with the festivities came a sense of loss for those who were not present. Hank was all too familiar with this feeling and usually attempted to drown it with alcohol. This year he had put more effort into enjoying the holiday, more for Connor's sake than his own. He was was a hardass, sure, but he wasn't a complete asshole. He wasn't going to ruin Christmas for others, especially not his partner.

And so, with the buzz of liberation, love, and loss swirling in the cold winter air, the missing persons reports had flooded into the DPD. It happened every year around the holiday season, but this year, for obvious reasons, the numbers were overwhelming. He and Connor had been tasked with cross-referencing the police files with whatever information Markus had in order to narrow down those who were actually missing, those who were recently found in Jericho, or those who were deceased. It sounded as fun to Hank as an evening with Gavin Reed.

With a sigh and only half of the sidewalk done, he stuck his shovel upright in a patch of still-thick snow and shuffled back inside. Before he could even get his wet boots off, Connor was at his side offering a mug of hot chocolate. "Thanks." He walked over to the couch before taking a sip, but when he did he immediately sent a grin at the android who was trying entirely too hard to hide a smile of his own. "You spiking my drinks now, Connor?"

"I may have added a little bit of rum."

"The fucking world must be ending," Hank chuckled. "What happened to your constant lecturing about how I consume way more alcohol than I should?"

"I made sure to only mix in an appropriate amount for your liver's current state. The goal is to warm you up, not get you drunk."

Hank raised his mug in appreciation and took a long sip as Connor sat down beside him. "I don't buy rum," he stated. He couldn't even imagine his partner going out of his way to buy him something bad for his health. That would go far beyond deviancy; it would be a flat out malfunction. "Where'd it come from?"

"Markus," Connor replied. "He told me to give it to you as a thank you gift for sorting through these files with me."

"He didn't need to do that," Hank replied, a slight feeling of guilt settling in his gut. He was just doing his job and honestly, Markus was helping them more than they were helping him. This was a task given by the DPD, after all.

As if reading his thoughts, Connor tilted his head slightly and said, "But he wanted to. Isn't it customary to show gratitude by giving gifts?"

"It is," Hank confirmed slowly. "But I mean, like you always say, I don't need more alcohol."

The android's face fell into a confused frown. "I don't understand. I accepted and delivered the rum to you despite knowing it's not really beneficial for your health because I believed it was a nice gesture that you would appreciate. But maybe I'm mistaken? Would you like me to tell Markus not to do such things in the future?"

"No, no. That's not what I meant," Hank replied with a sigh. He could already tell he was going to need to be more honest with Connor than he was comfortable with. "I just meant," he began, voice growing soft, "I don't really think I'm the kind of person that deserves gifts from people, Connor."

A painfully innocent stare was aimed directly at him, somehow making him feel even worse. Connor's LED flashed yellow for a brief moment before returning back to a placid blue. "Your vitals didn't give any signs that you were lying and yet your statement isn't true at all, Hank. Either you're a master manipulator or-"

Hank tore his gaze from the android, but not before he caught a glimpse of his LED flashing red.

"...Or you really believe what you said," Connor finished with a frown.

Hank slowly took a long drink from his mug. There were so many things his young friend didn't understand, and though on most occasions he was willing to begrudgingly explain what he could, there were some things, like the extent of his self-loathing, that he just didn't want to discuss. When Connor moved in with him, he had made a promise to himself to do right by his partner, to be the best example he could be despite his personal baggage, to be the guide that Connor needed as he discovered the nuances of his newfound emotions.

But Hank couldn't deny that he was a damaged person. Looking into Connor's face always brought the slight fear in his heart that he would somehow corrupt him with the darkness that lurked deep inside his mind, accidentally expose him to the monster that reared its ugly head in the silence of the night, gnawing at his bones until he was certain he had died and fallen into the deepest pits of Hell. He could never forgive himself if he let Connor become its prey. In Hank's heart he truly believed that Connor was just too pure and good to be subjected to the true pains of being human.

With no answer for his partner, Hank stared straight ahead towards the fireplace at the four stockings strung across the top. They had yet to remove them, despite the end of the holidays. Connor had insisted on putting one up for Cole. Hank hadn't had the heart to put anything inside his son's (it had been hard to even look at it at first), but the android had positively stuffed it full of candy and little toys. Hank remembered the gratitude he felt as Connor had gently put his hand on his shoulder when he felt tears slowly fall at the sight on Christmas morning.

His own stocking had been filled with socks, a bottle of vitamins, and a few ties. Sumo's had contained four rather large bully sticks. It had taken him a lot of thinking to figure out what to put in Connor's, but in the end, he decided to put in a new beanie, a roll of quarters, a Fidget Spinner and a Fidget Cube. The last of the two had been in his possession for over 20 years, given to him by his old college buddies. Connor was delighted.

"Hank," the android called, his voice softly cutting through the older man's thoughts. "I don't know how much this will mean to you coming from me but I happen to think you deserve to be happy just like everyone else." Connor paused as if choosing his words carefully before continuing, "If not more so. I know I'm not always easy to deal with and that I still have a lot to learn about many things, but what I do know is that despite having gone through many personal traumas, you've still accepted me into your home and treat me like you would your own son. You're an excellent father figure. The best I could ever ask for."

Despite himself, Hank felt a small smile form on his face as he hurriedly wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He couldn't quite bring himself to look at Connor just yet, but he managed a short laugh and whispered, knowing the android heard him clearly: "It means the world to me, Son. Thank you."

That night, as Hank sleepily made to close the front curtains after bidding Connor good night, he noticed that for the first time in about five years, the porch light of the house to the left of his was turned on. Curiosity and exhaustion fought for dominance over him, exhaustion winning out easily as he yawned and walked towards his bedroom.

He'd save his curiosity for tomorrow.


	2. Unspecified

Good Neighbors

Chapter 2 - Unspecified

Connor brought himself out of stasis much earlier than necessary to ensure that Hank wasn't awake and would not wake in the course of his task. It was 5:30am. His chance of completing his early morning mission without the lieutenant waking was at 100%. The android silently put on the new beanie Hank had given him and pulled on his boots, treading lightly to the door. It opened without even the slightest creak. Sumo remained deeply asleep on the living room rug, his massive body rising and falling gently with each soft snore.

Shutting the door quietly behind him, Connor stood on the porch and scanned the new snowfall. They had gotten 4 inches the previous night but there was no snow in the weather broadcast for the rest of the week. He could clear the sidewalk and the driveway in about an hour and a half and still have time to take Sumo on a walk.

He had barely started when the door to the house directly to his left swung open with an almighty crash, followed by the blur of a body running out and falling haphazardly into the snow. Connor straightened, shovel still in hand, as he heard soft swearing coming from the prone figure. "Ow, fucking _hell_ …"

Walking a bit closer to the short fence, Connor called out, "Excuse me, are you all right?" He noted that the neighbor seemed to be an adult female, probably between 20-25 years old.

He was about to scan her for injuries but stopped short when she turned green eyes on him and said, "Whoa, don't scan me, Big Guy. I don't even know you."

Connor felt his brows raise in surprise. The only evidence of him being an android was the LED on his temple and it was presently covered by his beanie. He had two options: scan her anyway to satiate his curiosity (impolite), or be neighborly and introduce himself (polite).

"My name is Connor. I'm-" He blinked a few times before continuing, "I live here with Lieutenant Hank Anderson." It was mildly inconvenient how some of his programming was harder to bypass than others.

The young woman stood and brushed herself off, giving Connor a searching look that made him feel as if _she_ were scanning _him_. In that instance, he noticed that she slightly resembled Markus. She had a warm complexion and dark hair that was shaved on one side, the other side covered in curls that fell to her shoulders. "Madge Ramsey," she replied with a small nod. A smile formed on her face as she looked into his. "So _you're_ Connor. I've heard some pretty cool things about you but no one told me you were hot."

Quickly running a systems check, Connor noted that he was, in fact, running at the ideal temperature for his biocomponents to function and not overheated at all. He didn't know what gave her the impression that his body temperature wasn't ideal, but he would ask later. Another question was higher in priority. "I hope you don't mind me asking," he began, keeping his tone neutral, "but since you preferred not to be scanned, I'm not sure if you're a human or an android. Which one are you?"

The same probing look she had given him before returned, but was quickly replaced by what Connor would describe as an amused grin. Her face certainly seemed to be expressive like a human's. "Take a guess."

"Connor felt a small shock of frustration course through his system. "I'm not programmed to guess. I'm programmed to get answers."

It took him a second to realize that his response could be considered rude and that his tone was not as level as he would have preferred. However, Madge didn't seem bothered since she just shrugged, grin turning into a smirk. "What's your super sophisticated android intuition leaning towards?"

With the growing feeling that this young woman was toying with him, Connor actively pushed his frustration aside and decided that the only way to get any sort of answer from Madge was to indulge her.

Connor looked at her face. The ease in which her expressions formed indicated she was human. Androids, despite their recent sentience and exposure to very real emotions still carried a certain stiffness in their faces. It wasn't that they _couldn't_ be expressive, but it took more for them to get to the point of showing emotion openly. Emotions were easier to hear in their voices rather than see in their eyes.

But the fact that she knew he had the ability to scan her without the visual clue of his LED was very strange. The only explanation Connor had for that was that she had some sort of scan sensor, which she would only have if she were an android.

Or she got unrealistically lucky in which case, she was human. But Connor wasn't satisfied with that conclusion either.

"It's a 50/50 percent chance you're one or the other," he informed her.

Much to his confusion, Madge looked up thoughtfully before giving a small shrug. "I'll take that." He didn't understand. _What_ could she possibly take from his inconclusive conclusion?

Before Connor could ask her to expand on her unsatisfyingly vague response, she raised her hand in a small wave and said, "Well, I've got a bunch of errands to run so I'm gonna go. It was nice meeting you. Catch ya later, neighbor." And without another word she was out of her yard and jogging down the street, Connor's eyes following her disappearing form with a curious itch in his brain and no answers.

Two hours later, he found himself sitting in the living room with a disgruntled Hank.

"This is fucking goddamn depressing," Hank groaned.

Connor looked towards his partner who up until that moment had been silently going over the files he had brought home from the station the day before. The DPD issued tablet lay face down on his lap as he brought his hands to his face.

"It's not the most...pleasant task," Connor agreed. "But I'm sure we'll bring peace of mind to many androids and humans alike once we find them all."

A sigh escaped the older man. "You really think we're going to find all these people?"

There was a small part of Connor that truly wanted to say whatever it took to remove the haunted look from his partner's eyes, to assure him that every single person on the list could be found alive and well in New Jericho. But he could never lie to Hank. He respected the man too much to offer such illogical sentiments. He wasn't sure Hank would appreciate it if he did anyway. Honesty was always the best approach. "I do. But I also believe we should prepare ourselves for the varying states we find them in."

"Disassembled, disembodied, _dead._ "

Frowning forming on his lips, Connor tried to ignore the sudden squeezing sensation around his Thirium pump. He had learned months before that the uncomfortable feeling was due to negative emotional stimuli. Hank was clearly in low-grade distress and though Connor knew the lieutenant could work past it, there was always trill of fear that manifested itself as the image of a gun on Hank's kitchen table in his mind's eye. The man was tough, Connor knew this full well. But he wasn't indestructible.

For a brief moment, he was torn between the need to accomplish their task (they had already put if off the night before) and his responsibility to Hank, whom he had silently vowed to take care of, whether the older man wanted him to or not. The decision then came easily.

"Maybe we should take a break."

Hank sighed. Connor could tell he would rather do anything else than what they were doing, but the man's sense of duty would keep him from fully conceding. Stubbornness was one of the man's strongest traits, after all. "We barely started."

"True," the android agreed gently. "But it isn't exactly a simple or easy job. It would be beneficial to take a ten to fifteen minute break to clear our minds." His partner was sending him a heavy stare that he couldn't quite read so he added as extra initiative, "I'll make coffee."

To Connor's immense satisfaction, Hank's eyes grew soft as his lips quirked into a small grin. "With rum in it?"

A laugh escaped him. "That was a one time deal, Hank."

"Damn." Hank crossed his arms dramatically and turned to Sumo who was lying on the floor at is feet. "Did you hear that, Sumo? Android-nanny said no."

"Sumo's on my side," Connor replied jovially as he stood and made his way to the kitchen. "He wants you to live a long life just as much as I do."

He was only being truthful, but as he came back into the living room with a large mug of coffee, he realized by the gentle warmth in Hank's eyes and the slight stiffness of his posture that the older man had taken his words with much more sentiment that he had said them. Shaking his head, Hank took the mug and simply muttered, "God dammit, Connor."

Wordlessly, the android picked up the tablet and flipped it over, eyes roaming the file Hank had left it on. He suddenly understood why his partner's distaste for this assignment had bled over so heavily: Hank had gotten to the missing children reports.

The face staring up at him was that of a little girl's, her long hair an incredibly dark shade of red. Her file read:

 **Name: Caroline Doe**

 **Age: 10**

 **Status: Unknown**

 **Person who filed report: Dr. Reginald Perce**

 **Last Seen: 10/31/38**

And after hers was Tyge Mason, age 8, missing since early November then Olivia Newman, age 12, missing since December 1st. Of course, Connor already had all the files in his database, but he had yet to process the information. They had been given all the missing persons files that had even the slight chance of relating to androids but he had been surprised that among them were a fair amount of missing children reports. The memory of Daniel holding Emma above the edge of the roof flashed across his internal screen and he found himself hoping these children were not being held hostage in a similar fashion.

Going back to Caroline's file, Connor stared at the words "Status: Unspecified." A doctor had reported her missing. Doctors had access to medical and family histories. It wasn't possible that no one knew whether this girl was an android or human. The information had been left out on purpose. But why?

"Jesus Christ, Connor, are you all right?"

He looked up from the tablet, confused. "I'm fine, Hank. Why do you ask?"

His partner watched him for a long moment before taking a sip of coffee then replying, "Your LED turned yellow and freaked the fuck out."

"Oh." Connor blinked a few times. "I was just thinking."

"When _aren't_ you thinking?"

Absently rubbing his hands together, Connor answered automatically: "When I'm in stasis." The silence that followed was poignant enough for him to face his partner, only to be met by a flat stare. He stilled his hands immediately. "Oh," Connor repeated, this time with more understanding. "It was a rhetorical question." When Hank merely nodded, he shrugged slightly and leaned back against the couch cushions. "I'm still getting used to the contradictory nature of humans."

"Most _humans_ don't even understand their own nature," the older man muttered. They fell into silence, one that Connor could already tell was going to be broken by his partner based on how he sighed, and leaned forward. The android had noticed long ago that Hank always grew interested in cases despite any level of distress if he himself showed signs of formulating a theory. A true detective to the core. There was no doubt in his mind that there were still so many things he could learn from Hank. "So, what were you thinking so hard about?"

Handing Hank back the tablet, Connor replied, "I was wondering why this girl's status has been left out. I believe the information was omitted on purpose but for what reason?" Blinking once as he quickly processed all the files, he added, "After scanning all 92 files, I've found 21 with the status left as unspecified: 11 adults and 10 children."

Raising a brow, Hank began swiping through the files. "That's fucking weird." After a brief pause he suggested, "Maybe since most of them went missing before the revolution, the people who sent in the reports didn't want to straight up say they were androids? Because at the time finding them would be lower priority than finding humans?"

"That doesn't seem right," Connor replied softly. "If that were the case, they could have just lied and claimed their status as human. Why leave it as unspecified?" He brought up file of Caroline Doe on his visual display. "Besides, no one reported anything until _after_ the revolution was over despite the fact that all of them were last seen _before_ the revolution even started."

"So you're saying they were reported _because_ of the revolution," Hank said slowly, brow furrowed in thought. "Because androids now have equal rights."

"That's one theory," Connor nodded. "Because it's possible they have been found within New Jericho. The likelihood of actually finding them is higher."

"That still doesn't explain the unspecified status, though," Hank pointed out with a frown.

Connor looked into his partner's eyes for a moment before taking an unnecessary breath. "It is strange. If there had only been one, it could have simply been a coincidence. With this many, it's a pattern."

Hank began swiping the tablet hurriedly, eyes scanning each file's status intently. "Yeah. Run this with me. What else do they all have in common besides being unspecified?"

"They were all reported to have been last seen _before_ November 12th of last year. Before the revolution."

"Fuck," his partner grumbled. "Connor, can you separate the unspecified files into their own fucking folder so my eyes don't start bleeding from scrolling through all 92 of them?"

"Done," he replied instantly.

"Thanks." Connor waited patiently as Hank scrolled through the files, wanting to know what other similarities his partner would notice. There were a few he himself had already made note of, but he had learned many months ago that Hank did not appreciate just being given answers unless he asked for them himself. Granted, he had asked the question, but Connor knew that they were in what Hank called, "bouncing ideas around" phase of their impromptu investigation. He would wait his turn.

Hank looked over at him and said slowly, "All the unspecified cases were reported to the DPD on the same date: January 1st, New Year's Day."

"And all of the reports were made by doctors."

"Holy shit," his partner whispered. "I didn't even notice that." Hank was silent for a moment before adding tentatively, "They could have been a mass breakout from some sort of facility."

"There's not a high probability," Connor informed him. "I just ran a reference check on all the doctors who sent in the reports and none of them work in the same place. Some of them aren't even practicing in the state of Michigan."

"Then why would the reports be made at the _Detroit_ Police Department?"

"That's a good question."

"God dammit, what the actual fuck?"

With the patience only an android could have, Connor watched as Hank ran a hand frustratedly down his face before crossing his arms and lean back against the couch cushions. Assured that the man had nothing else to add for the moment, he decided to make a proposition. "I suggest we talk to Captain Fowler about focusing on these unspecified files. I'll still send all the names of the missing people to Markus for cross-referencing, but I do believe there is something more going on with the Unspecifieds. There is the chance that are dangerous or are in danger. In which case, we should find them before anything more problematic arises."

Hank uncrossed his arms and let out a breath. Talking to the Captain was not something he wanted or liked to do; Connor knew this. But there was also an appeal to being on an actual case that he knew his human friend couldn't resist. "I guess he might go for it… there are enough files to go around the rest of the office anyway." Slapping his hands to his knees, Hank pushed himself off the couch and stretched with a grunt. Connor smiled. "Come on," his partner said with a jerk of his head towards the door. "Might as well go now. Can't wait to see the look on his face seeing me in early."

Connor followed instantly. After giving Sumo a departing pet he closed the door behind him, eyes briefly wandered over to the house to the left. The curtain inside the window shifted ever so slightly, revealing a tiny flash of silver that disappeared as quickly as it came. Suspicion began to rise in his mind, but Hank was already in the driver seat waiting for him to get in. With a swift glance back towards the window that revealed nothing more, he got into the car and made no mention of it to Hank. It was probably just a cat, anyway.


	3. Tested

Good Neighbors

Chapter 3 - Tested

Hank had a sneaking suspicion Fowler had only agreed to let them further investigate the Unspecifieds because had been so shocked at seeing Hank at the office before noon that his brain function had momentarily ceased. The look on the captain's face though… it was almost enough for Hank to want to come in earlier more often.

Almost.

He was on his second cup of coffee and had barely turned on his terminal while Connor had already found phone numbers and addresses for all the doctors who had sent in reports and arranged a meeting with Markus for the next day to cross-reference all their missing people. The only thing stopping his partner from just sending Markus the files via mind transfer was the legality of it. Connor was, after all, still a cop, and sending copies of police files to revolutionaries was against protocol. All this Connor had explained while he was mid-way through his first cup of coffee. He was amazed that he had even caught half of what the android said.

"You have way too much fucking energy, Connor," he groused.

Connor glanced up at him from his terminal (which was mostly for show anyway since his brain was significantly more powerful than the computer on his desk) and sent him a stare that Hank couldn't read. "I have the same amount of energy for 'fucking' as I do all my functions, Lieutenant."

 _That_ woke Hank up. He nearly spewed coffee all over his screen. A round of hacking laughter burst from him, painful as he tried to get his breath back but unstoppable. He could hear Connor chuckling. "Jesus Christ," he wheezed as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. Amused and now fully awake, he peered over at his partner who had gone back to work (or was pretending to work if the small smirk on his face meant anything) and asked, "Is that true?"

It appeared that his question wasn't clear to the android; his smirk faltered and he blinked a few times before understanding lit up his eyes once more. "I was teasing you," he stated. "I don't have any sexual functions."

"Really?"

"No." Before Hank could even form an opinion on what he had just learned, Connor added, "But I can easily upgrade."

Hank regarded him silently, the thin line preventing him from fully understanding his partner pulled taut. He often forgot Connor was an android until he stated something that made it so painfully obvious that he was. What must it be like, he wondered, to so easily upgrade your own body? "Is that something you want?" He asked tentatively.

Again, Connor seemed contemplative before answering, "I'm not really sure. There's no reason at the moment. I suppose I would have to find myself in a circumstance where I would prefer to be upgraded."

"Connor," Hank started, mirth beginning to creep back into his voice. "Are you saying you'd upgrade and get a dick if you got yourself a lover?"

His partner merely stared at him, unmoving and unblinking. For a second, Hank was convinced that the android had shut down. He was about to start waving his hand in front of Connor's face when he abruptly frowned and folded his hands neatly on the desk. "I was merely stating that there is no circumstance in where I need the upgrade to give myself sexual functions. I had no particular circumstance in mind since none have made themselves known."

"Whoa, okay," Hank conceded with both hands raised in mock surrender. "I was just asking a question, son. This old man gets curious sometimes, y'know?" He couldn't get the smirk off his face. It was the first time he had seen Connor anything close to annoyed. The urge to poke the bear was strong. "Humor me, Connor," he said, trying his best to keep his voice level. The android raised a brow at him. "Say you met someone you really like. Someone who makes you feel things you've never felt before and all you want to do is be with them and be your best to make them happy."

"Hank," Connor broke in, LED turning yellow. Hank bit his tongue in order to keep from laughing; his partner never called him by first name at work. He was taking the bait. "Your scenario is impossible. I can't relate to feelings I've never felt before because I have no basis on what that would entail."

"Ok, ok," Hank replied, unable to keep a small hiccup of a chuckle out of his voice. Connor frowned harder, causing him to clear his throat. "Let me rephrase that. Before you became a deviant, you found deviants interesting, right?"

"In a sense."

"Now you're just being stubborn," Hank chided. "You can't fool me, kid. They were different from you and you wanted to know why." Connor remained unsmiling and unmoving, proving that Hank had hit his mark. "So imagine you met someone like that. Someone you wanted to figure out, but also leave exactly as they are. Like, you enjoy that they're the way they are. And you want to be around them to see more. And maybe even be a better version of you to make them happy."

It was incredibly hard for Hank keep his face straight as Connor blinked, tilted his head, and seemed to consider the scenario. Surely, for an android as pragmatic as Connor, the abstract idea of love was a difficult one to grasp. But, oh, if the idea of his partner going all gaga for some lovely lady or handsome man wasn't a hilarious one...

Connor's expression changed instantly from thoughtful to irate, causing Hank to choke down a snort. "I can't tell if you actually want me to understand affection or if you just want me to say that I'd get a penis."

Hank's laughter rang across the office, causing other officers to send curious glances their way but he didn't care. The unfamiliar look of absolute displeasure on Connor's face was enough to undo him. To Hank, the android resembled a disgruntled toddler. He was doubled over so much that he nearly missed Connor opening his mouth, no doubt to chastise him, before the his partner's gaze travelled upwards past the laughing lieutenant, a mildly wary expression crossing his face. "Madge?"

Hank instantly sat upright, spinning around quickly to see who Connor had spoken to. He came face to face with a short young woman with wavy hair and sage green eyes. For a fraction of a second he thought he was looking at Markus. He had never seen this woman before; did Connor know her from the resistance? She smiled, one eyebrow raised at Connor. "Wish I had this much fun at work. Lieutenant Anderson," she greeted, offering her right hand which Hank politely shook. "My name is Madge Ramsey. I'm your neighbor."

"Oh, uh," Hank glanced quickly at Connor who let out the tiniest sigh and continued, "Nice to meet you. Is there something we can help you with, Miss Ramsey?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Ew. Just 'Madge' is fine." Leaning slightly around Hank, she sent the smallest of waves to Connor with an accompanying wink. "Hey, stud."

Hank's head spun so quickly towards his partner that it was only luck that kept him from getting whiplash. "Good morning," Connor replied tightly. The irritation was back, only this time it wasn't directed at Hank. Curiosity began to bloom in the lieutenant's chest. "How can we help you?"

"How do you two know each other?" Hank blurted out. He could have sworn Connor's eyes had shifted towards him in the briefest of glares.

"We met this morning," the android replied shortly. "Before you woke up."

Madge nodded and gave a small shrug. "I wouldn't have been up that early if I didn't have so much shit to do today."

"I hear ya," Hank agreed. He was beginning to feel like liked Madge, especially since she seemed to unleash an undercurrent of annoyance that was so foreign for his partner. She sent a grin his direction which he returned, if only to bother Connor a bit more.

"I'm actually here to file a missing persons report."

Hank felt his brows raise almost all the way up to his hairline, Connor's face becoming slack in surprise. They caught each other's eye for a moment before returning their attention to Madge. "Case files are usually recorded at the reception area," Connor stated. "Did someone at the front desk send you back here to meet with us directly?"

A shadow of a smirk crossed Madge's face. "They sure did. After I mentioned that I knew you personally." Connor's expression must have given away his distaste at her tactic since her eyes softened as she explained, "Ok, so it wasn't the most honorable way to get to you guys; I'm sorry. I'm just desperate. It's been years since I've been in Detroit and to find out one of my friends has been missing for months and no one's done anything about it… I just need to find him."

Hank felt his stomach sink a little. He understood how she felt; though it hadn't been very long, the week right after the android revolution ended proved stressful without news of Connor's whereabouts. He had no idea whether his partner was even alive. But despite the empathy he felt for the young woman, he and Connor had just gotten permission to downsize the number of missing persons cases they would handle. By the expressionless look on Connor's face, Hank felt like he knew what his partner was going to say. In a sudden surge of respect for the android, Hank opened his mouth to bear the bad news for him instead. "We've actually just been assigned a case, Madge. I'd suggest filing a report up at the front-"

"Is your missing person a human or android?"

Hank turned surprised eyes to Connor. Apparently, Madge had heard the rejection in the older man's voice because she too wore a shocked expression before answering eagerly, "Human, but he associated closely with androids."

"Please provide his name, date of birth, and any additional information that could prove useful in an investigation." By the even tone of his voice, Hank knew that Connor was filling out the proper documentation on his internal screen. Blue eyes glanced quickly at Madge before Hank politely pulled over a chair from the desk beside his and gestured for her to sit.

Madge accepted the offer and answered, "Desmond Maine, born January 27th, 2015." Something about the way her tone had suddenly mirrored Connor's unsettled the lieutenant. "The last time I saw him he was working at Woodward Mall Center as security. He got along better with his android co-workers than his human ones." Her gaze drifted towards the floor, hands folding neatly on top of her knees. "He preferred androids to people, honestly."

"You believe he may have gotten caught up in the android revolution," Connor stated.

"Yes."

Connor blinked a few times, a twitchy sort of blink that Hank had long ago learned to associate with his partner finding or receiving information. He was about to ask but Connor's eyes suddenly widened before turning to Madge, whose face remained passive. He glanced quickly at Hank before looking sternly at Madge once again, his LED blinking yellow. Her expression remained neutral for a few seconds before she frowned and tilted her head. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Connor's LED shifted back to blue. "My apologies," he replied. "I looked up Desmond Maine, but the information I found may not be useful to the case. I've filed it away for further investigation at a later date if need be."

"Right," Madge answered slowly with an air of suspicion. Hank might have been imagining it, but she almost looked a bit uncomfortable. The thought was banished quickly from his mind as she returned to a more slack posture, slouching back in the chair, arms crossing in front of her. "Like I said before, I've been out of state for a few years so I'm not sure how this whole android revolution went down. I saw the news reports, but I have no idea how much of what they said was true and how much was made up. If androids were in the front line fighting for their freedom, Desmond would be the type of person to be right up there with them."

"Connor is meeting up with the resistance leader tomorrow," Hank said. "If anyone knows anything about your guy, it'll be Markus."

With a nod, Connor confirmed, "That's right. I will pass on the information you've given us and see what we can find. Please leave us your contact information. We'll get back to you when we've found something." Hank raised a brow as Connor held out his hand, palm up. He had only ever seen his partner make the gesture when he had awakened the other androids in Cyberlife Tower. Understanding hit him like a punch in the gut. Madge was an android. Or at least, _Connor_ thought she was. But Hank had already shaken her hand and despite how hard it was to tell nowadays, her skin had felt distinctly human.

Madge looked from Connor's hand to his face. "What exactly do you want me to do?" Hank's confusion only grew when Connor retracted his hand instantly.

"Nothing," Connor replied, "I was just checking something."

Hank fully turned to give the android an incredulous look. He had no idea what his partner was playing at.

Madge shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "You're cute. Weird, but cute." She reached forward, took a pen and post-it note from Hank's desk, and wrote down a phone number. Finished, she stood and held her hand out to Hank. "Thank you for your help, Lieutenant. I hope you hear from you soon, and I hope we can get along well as neighbors." He accepted her hand with a small nod. Turning back towards Connor, she raised her hand in a sort of half mock-salute. "See ya."

Hank waited until she was completely out of the office before rounding on the android across from him, filled with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. "What was that all about?"

"What do you mean?"

A chuckle escaped him as he leaned back in his chair. "Well, first you had this pissy attitude when Madge walked in."

"I did not-"

"And yet you still filed a report for her knowing full well it might not be relevant to our current case. Then you looked at her all funny and treated her like an android with that hand-information-transfer thing that you do."

"I have reason to believe that she is, in fact, an android."

Laughter escaped Hank once again. "Kid, how is it possible that you're built to be a genius and yet you're so oblivious to the obvious? That girl is human, no doubt about it."

The expression on Connor's face clearly showed his disbelief. "What makes you think so?"

"Connor, I shook her hand. Sure as hell didn't feel like synthetic skin to me." He could tell his partner didn't take that as proof, so he continued, "Trust me, I can tell."

"Forgive me Hank," Connor replied, "But I'm going to have to disagree. I have my reasons for believing she is an android."

The older man felt the sides of his lips curling into a smirk. "Wanna bet?" A small part of his brain whispered that placing a bet against an android was not a good idea, but his pride and self-assuredness drowned it out.

At first, Connor regarded him with a blank expression but it began to bloom into a smile that almost made Hank regret his challenge. The android returned his smirk and shrugged, casually leaning forward on top of his desk. It was in those so incredibly human moments that Hank felt a deep fondness for his partner, his partner who was truly becoming his own person and less like a stiff machine. "All right," Connor agreed. "If I'm correct, you let me pick and prepare your meals for a month."

"Christ," Hank replied with a grimace. He should have known. Connor had been trying to get him to eat healthier since he moved in. "Fine," he concede with a sigh. "But if I win I get to choose your _clothes_ for a month."

Connor's smile dropped slightly. "Even for the office?"

"Even for the office."

Hank watched as Connor seemed to consider his terms. It was common knowledge that Connor didn't agree with Hank's sense of style and preferred to wear either his Cyberlife uniform or a simple suit. Hank was more than ready to get his partner into something more… amusing. The crab suit hidden deep in the garage was his first prospect.

But as much as Connor couldn't stand Hank's fashion choices, the older man knew that it was his horrible eating habits that bothered the android most. There was no way his partner would pass on the chance to feed him "rabbit food." As if on cue, Connor rolled his shoulders and stuck out his hand. "Deal."

Chuckling, Hank clapped his palm against his partner's and gave a firm shake. "Deal! You're gonna regret this, Connor."

With a devious smirk that Hank mentally noted was a new expression on Connor's face, the android replied, "I doubt it, Lieutenant. You forget that I'm a state of the art prototype with incredible accuracy in all aspects."

Hank burst out laughing a third time, barely managing to choke out, "Oh, shut the fuck up!"

Nearly twelve hours later, Hank pulled into the driveway and turned off the car's engine. He and stepped out onto the melting snow, thankful to finally be home and more than ready to go to bed. He followed Connor to the door, stopping abruptly mid-yawn in an effort not to walk right into his partner's back as he stilled. Slightly disgruntled, he opened his mouth to ask Connor what the hell he was doing but froze as his eyes settled on what the android was looking at.

Madge was sitting on the landing of her porch, staring straight ahead into the darkness of night. To Hank, she looked incredibly distracted. He was about to urge Connor inside, to leave the girl alone with her thoughts, but her head turned towards them. Instantly there was light in her yes and a grin on her lips. She sent the pair a lazy wave.

"Hey. Long time no see."

"It's late," Connor replied. Hank rose a brow at the tightness in his voice. "You should go inside."

Madge let out a dramatic sigh before getting to her feet, stretching as if she had been sitting there for quite some time. "Jesus, all right, _dad._ "

"She's being sarcastic," Hank informed his frowning partner.

"I _know_ , Hank."

A small giggle accompanied by the sound of a door opening reached the lieutenant's ears. "Whoa, don't argue on my account. I'll be a good girl and get myself right to bed."

Hank snorted, fully aware that Connor didn't understand his amusement. The android shook his head and made for their own door, Hank following suit. But before Madge could disappear into her house, the older man couldn't resist and called out, "Hey, Madge!"

Connor sent him a suspicious look that he pointedly ignored as Madge turned back around. "Yeah?"

"You're human, right?"

Green eyes met blue before blinking a few times, a laugh erupting from Madge's lips. "Seriously? Come _on._ " And without another word, she disappeared into her house, the door shutting with a soft _click._

Connor rounded on him instantly but before he could speak, Hank stated, "She's human."

"There is absolutely no proof-"

"I can _tell_ , Connor."

"And I have actual legitimate _reasons_ why I believe she isn't."

They bickered up until they went into their respective bedrooms. Hank only hoped that Connor was having as much fun disagreeing as he was. He could have sworn he had seen a smile on his partner's face when he had bid him good night with an endearing, "Fucking android."

And, if his hearing was still decent, he was pretty sure he had heard Connor reply rather fondly, "Stubborn human."


End file.
